tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post53202802823499823..comments2017-12-13T20:47:32.016-05:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: Starpeace recorder 1985 / THU 3-3-11 / Language gjuho shqipe / Quested Passage to India woman / Subject of sailor's weather maximRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-71674552619849561742011-04-09T22:05:20.564-04:002011-04-09T22:05:20.564-04:00Saved! Thank you. Friends &amp; relatives think I&...Saved! Thank you. Friends &amp; relatives think I&#39;m rully smart, a crack puzzle solver. To the extent I&#39;m almost ready to proudly, smugly don such a mantle, until Rex &amp; every commenter on this site make me feel like a cruci-moron, who for a moment thought &quot;rich in sugar&quot; was neither cake nor cane, but Coke. The doppelganger eluded me altogether, was convinced Mr. Shortz had finally let a gross mistake slip through his fingers.M'sieu Tondeleonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-8107215534201626482011-04-09T02:33:08.072-04:002011-04-09T02:33:08.072-04:00An excellent yet grueling puzzle for me but did ac...An excellent yet grueling puzzle for me but did actually finally get it. Kahn is one of my favorites because puzzles are hard yet not with silly clueing. BTW-agree w/you that its nice to see roman numeral thing without it being MCMxLI or something. Disagree with you about Fonda though-gotta be Wyatt Earp(My Darling Clementine).novemberyankee68https://www.blogger.com/profile/14141803613714391218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-34560749881223840322011-04-07T19:36:12.435-04:002011-04-07T19:36:12.435-04:00Nice tough one --- felt like a Friday in places.
...Nice tough one --- felt like a Friday in places.<br /><br />I went with Andrew Jackson, because I chose Captain Cook. I thought Captain Hook was a character from Peter Pan, not an actual historical figure. Or was his name James? <br /><br />I&#39;m very pleased to have finished this one with nary a Google. It was touch and go for a while, but I resisted temptation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73227006216342458032011-04-07T18:34:09.103-04:002011-04-07T18:34:09.103-04:00Syndi-late paper solver.
Thought the puzzle was m...Syndi-late paper solver.<br /><br />Thought the puzzle was more medium than what I expect for a Thursday, although it was no GIMME and I committed nearly all the same initial missteps that Rex did. With a few extra. Tried OLIVES for awhile for what somebody might eat with small fork: seems I saw one once at the end of swizzle stick: don&#39;t ask, it made sense for a few minutes.<br /><br />Last time I was in the Yucatan I made a short side trip to the pueblito of Becal to buy myself a jipijapa. A nice old toothless geezer took me down into his cave and explained things before he sold me one he&#39;d made.<br /><br />http://www.mayadiscovery.com/ing/handicrafts/sombreros.htm<br /><br />Wore it out on my latest Big Fat Mexican Vacation. Gotta get me another one, GERONIMO ALO.NotalwaysrightBillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47349571431477501812011-04-07T16:39:39.071-04:002011-04-07T16:39:39.071-04:00This syndicated solver was just glad to solve this...This syndicated solver was just glad to solve this puppy - I settled on ANDREWJACKSON and never considered (despite the plain language of the clue) that there was another correct answer. Now I love it even more, but I&#39;m not quite so smug about finishing since I missed the best part. <br /><br />Last letter in was the a in TASTEIT because I really wanted 16a to be ADELe so Rex could post another video like the one on Monday.<br /><br />@Anony 2:04pm - Also see the comment by @One of many? about the 9d clue.Dirigonzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903353503511480168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47522872583245137122011-04-07T16:37:27.054-04:002011-04-07T16:37:27.054-04:00@Anonymous, 2:04 PM - Rex answered your question i...@Anonymous, 2:04 PM - Rex answered your question in the second paragraph of his write-up, but in case you have forgotten:<br /><br />When I was just a little bitty baby<br />My mama used to rock me in the cradle<br />In them old cotton fields at home,<br /><br />It was down in Louisiana<br />Just about a mile from Texarkana<br />In them old cotton fields at home.<br /><br />Well when them cotton bolls get rotten<br />You can&#39;t pick very much cotton<br />In them old cotton fields at home,<br /><br />It was down in Louisiana<br />Just about a mile from Texarkana<br />In them old cotton fields at home.<br /><br />Well I was down in Arkansas<br />And people were all asking<br />&quot;Whatcha signed up for?&quot;<br />In them old cotton fields at home<br /><br />It was down in Louisiana<br />Just about a mile from Texarkana<br />In them old cotton fields at home.<br /><br />Oh, well when them cotton bolls get rotten<br />You can&#39;t pick very much cotton<br />In them old cotton fields at home,<br /><br />It was down in Louisiana<br />Just about a mile from Texarkana<br />In them old cotton fields at home.<br /><br />When I was just a little bitty baby<br />My mama used to rock me in the cradle<br />In them old, old cotton fields at home,<br /><br />It was down in Louisiana<br />Just about a mile from Texarkana<br />In them old cotton fields at home.<br /><br />Oh, well when them cotton bolls get rotten<br />You can&#39;t pick very much cotton<br />In them old cotton fields at home,<br /><br />It was down in Louisiana<br />Just about a mile from Texarkana<br />In them old cotton fields at home.Joe Dassinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-29644047981042259072011-04-07T14:04:13.768-04:002011-04-07T14:04:13.768-04:00i protest the answer to 9d;the univ of pittsburgh&...i protest the answer to 9d;the univ of pittsburgh&#39;s 1910 team was undefeated,untied,and unscored on;check the ncaa history;also what word is bolls???Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-31859486995981425042011-03-10T10:11:51.606-05:002011-03-10T10:11:51.606-05:00I was able to guess 12D (ALBANIAN) from having rea...I was able to guess 12D (ALBANIAN) from having read Every Inch a King by Harry Turtledove. It takes place in the fictional country of Shqiperi, which is analogous to Albania.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87635116933985912012011-03-04T15:23:09.419-05:002011-03-04T15:23:09.419-05:00The clue &quot;Latin pronoun&quot; for 45 across i...The clue &quot;Latin pronoun&quot; for 45 across in Friday&#39;s puzzle is not accurate: mea is a form of the adjective meus,-a,um, meaning &quot;my&quot;. It is not a pronoun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-24687972555524747282011-03-04T08:48:11.183-05:002011-03-04T08:48:11.183-05:00ADAIR as &quot;author&quot; is really lame, given ...ADAIR as &quot;author&quot; is really lame, given Perec&#39;s importance. (No disrespect to Gilbert Adair, whose translation is miraculous, in view of the obvious obstacles.) BTW, Perec was a noted creator of crossword puzzles, in addition to novels etc. Perhaps a sly joke was intended, in which case I think Perec might have been amused.Chris Kearinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06485410374923842372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21827106640190703472011-03-03T23:49:27.289-05:002011-03-03T23:49:27.289-05:00I am breaking my rule, and posting before reading ...I am breaking my rule, and posting before reading others comments. Of course, this late, who cares. Had other commitments this morning and early afternoon. Sat with this at the coffee shop for the longest (seeming) time, and finally wrote &quot;Shoot ME!&quot; in the margin. Strangely enough, the puzzle was easier over beer tonight than latte earlier. Loved IGUANA, GERONIMO. Favorite clue is &quot;jipijapa,&quot; new to me. Had GO IT ALONE in place very early, and for a long time that entry was alone in the NW. REDSKY broke open the whole SE very early, but TENNESSEE was not much help with the solve at that point in time. I have never seen a puzzle with two answers, and I was stuck on CANE and COOK, mutually exclusive. So wanted the presidents to be HarriSONs, but TENNESSEE didn&#39;t sound right. Took me forever to see US SENATOR, partly because I was stuck on SOB for 6D (break down is a valid clue.) <br /><br />I have to admire this grid - a double theme answer, plus the secondary &quot;shot&quot; theme. I was relieved to see Rex rated this as challenging. One quibble, ILK as an answer to &quot;class&quot; is classless.CoffeeLvrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16473192190412844538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21972596491192544932011-03-03T23:30:24.347-05:002011-03-03T23:30:24.347-05:00This week&#39;s relative difficulty ratings. See m...This week&#39;s relative difficulty ratings. See my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week&#39;s median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.<br /><br />All solvers (this week&#39;s median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)<br /><br />Mon 8:26, 6:55, 1.22, 99%, Challenging<br />Tue 8:05, 8:56, 0.91, 27%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 9:40, 11:44, 0.82, 13%, Easy<br />Thu 20:20, 19:08, 1.06, 70%, Medium-Challenging<br /><br />Top 100 solvers<br /><br />Mon 4:20, 3:41, 1.17, 98%, Challenging<br />Tue 4:20, 4:35, 0.95, 38%, Easy-Medium<br />Wed 4:52, 5:47, 0.84, 13%, Easy<br />Thu 9:42, 9:13, 1.05, 69%, Medium-Challengingsanfranman59https://www.blogger.com/profile/15118732156312301425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-87765668907352978292011-03-03T23:28:20.343-05:002011-03-03T23:28:20.343-05:00This puzzle was wonderful to me in all respects sa...This puzzle was wonderful to me in all respects save one. There is no such thing as a &quot;snows blanket&quot; or such things as &quot;snows blankets.&quot; The word &quot;snowy&quot; was the only correct choice and I happily &quot;yoloed&quot; my way through the rest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44900210836036358672011-03-03T22:34:44.844-05:002011-03-03T22:34:44.844-05:00Coming up for air just long enough to say &quot;br...Coming up for air just long enough to say &quot;brilliant!&quot;<br />Neat that it was another presidential one... Now let&#39;s see someone do OBAMA/NIXONadair carom mcmiiinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-12774863717764426032011-03-03T22:14:15.799-05:002011-03-03T22:14:15.799-05:00Anon 6.13 and Martin: thank you!!Anon 6.13 and Martin: thank you!!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-82693608980176441972011-03-03T21:31:58.326-05:002011-03-03T21:31:58.326-05:00Navy/Rutgers 1910 tie was 0-0, thus thus still &qu...Navy/Rutgers 1910 tie was 0-0, thus thus still &quot;unscored&quot;.<br /><br />Also, the clue didn&#39;t specify the ONLY school, just any old school wth that record in 1910 --- that fit the crosses.One of many?noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56423965431397780992011-03-03T21:28:34.200-05:002011-03-03T21:28:34.200-05:00Broken Arrow was about Cochise but Geronimo was al...Broken Arrow was about Cochise but Geronimo was also in it (played by Jay Silverheels, aka Tonto).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91053013348174838362011-03-03T21:18:21.046-05:002011-03-03T21:18:21.046-05:00Googling the constructor of the Clinton/Dole led m...Googling the constructor of the Clinton/Dole led me to a Wikipedia entry about a very interesting guy I had never heard of (but my guess a lot of people here have).michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78760378249591620722011-03-03T21:15:00.176-05:002011-03-03T21:15:00.176-05:00I got it, I liked it, but found it Friday/Saturda...I got it, I liked it, but found it Friday/Saturday hard. Took me a long time to get both the nw and the sw. Inches really held me up. On the other hand, I got the theme quickly partly because I remember the Clinton/Dole puzzle. Now I&#39;m going to google the constructor. Back in 1996 I didn&#39;t pay much attention to the names of constructors.michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-45216726667653660912011-03-03T21:13:12.518-05:002011-03-03T21:13:12.518-05:00Good puzzle day. Great stuff here and in the LAT....Good puzzle day. Great stuff here and in the LAT. I&#39;m a happy camper.imsdavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12966770844825169981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21748689012914769542011-03-03T20:17:29.435-05:002011-03-03T20:17:29.435-05:00@Martin: thanks for the link to the Clinton/Dole ...@Martin: thanks for the link to the Clinton/Dole puzzles.<br /><br />OAT bagels are common (and yummy!) in the NYC area.<br /><br />Also had ENO before ONO.<br /><br />Definitely Challenging for me. Whenever I see the name Kahn, I know it&#39;ll be a tricky puzzle.JenCThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290169184354765840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-39947733371791874072011-03-03T20:06:31.407-05:002011-03-03T20:06:31.407-05:00Speak of the Devil, what was it about 1910? Appare...Speak of the Devil, what was it about 1910? Apparently Pittsburgh was unbeaten and unscored against in 1910. What up?<br /><br />Appreciated the Doc Watson and the <i>Tennessee Stud</i>, but liked it even more when it led to JIMMY DRIFTWOOD; Now THERE was a NAME, a guitarist, and a COMPOSER! If only my name could have been &quot;Jimmy Driftwood&quot;! I celebrate American Creativity, and Sing the Body Electric!<br /><br />By &quot;Hook&quot; or by &quot;Cook&quot;, we solved this puzzle!<br /><br />Thanks, Rex!Alpine Joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17580599628294869568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16538525402905939032011-03-03T18:45:07.334-05:002011-03-03T18:45:07.334-05:00Illinois was unbeaten and unscored on in 1910. Nav...Illinois was unbeaten and unscored on in 1910. Navy had a tie game.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17641084100120875112011-03-03T18:33:45.076-05:002011-03-03T18:33:45.076-05:00Note to self:
Read twice, post once.Note to self:<br /><br />Read twice, post once.Darn it's dark out therenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37906965127124141352011-03-03T18:32:21.722-05:002011-03-03T18:32:21.722-05:00Little factoid: Pittsburgh Panthers (aka PITT) was...Little factoid: Pittsburgh Panthers (aka PITT) was also undefeated and unscored upon in 1910. Wouldn&#39;t *that* have been amazing, getting both JACKSON/JOHNSON and PITT/NAVY as &#39;either one&#39; clues!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com